The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online

RECORD: Darwin, C. R. 1873.05.07. Dionaea. CUL-DAR59.1.4. Edited by John van Wyhe (Darwin Online, http://darwin-online.org.uk/)

REVISION HISTORY: Transcribed by Christine Chua and edited by John van Wyhe 10.2022. RN1

NOTE: See record in the Darwin Online manuscript catalogue, enter its Identifier here. Reproduced with permission of the Syndics of Cambridge University Library and William Huxley Darwin. The volumes CUL-DAR 54-61 contain material for Darwin's book Insectivorous plants (1875).

Dionaea muscipula is the Venus flytrap. These notes are for Darwin, C. R. 1875. Insectivorous plants. London: John Murray. (F1217)

[4]

Beetles wonderfully softened — parts hardy cohere. — Longer line extreme length of one lamina of leaf— Shorter dots extreme length of body of insect— Add up on line all lengths of leaves & insects & make rule of 3 for percentage of length of insect to leaf — Beetles seem favorite food — 8/14

[sketches]

Average length of leafs .53 in

————— of insects .2565

[4v]

Dionæa.— May 7th 73—

Leaves sent by Mr Canby — taken very early in year before the leaves had much grown— but whatever the power of catching insects probably the same as when large— The fact, I think support my theory, that crossed spikes curve as meshes of net to allow small fly to escape.

Citation: John van Wyhe, ed. 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online. (http://darwin-online.org.uk/)